


we were perfect, until reality pulled us apart

by clownnix



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Abandonment, Adults, Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Cheating, Childhood Friends, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Father-Daughter Relationship, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Post Mpreg, Post-Break Up, Self-Acceptance, Unrequited Love, relationship, struggling adults
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27748006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clownnix/pseuds/clownnix
Summary: Hinata Shouyou and Akaashi Keiji only had one thing in common now, a beautiful daughter.They were happy at first. Their relationship was full of joy and perfection. Well, that was until Shouyou gave birth to their daughter and Keiji left without saying anything.Now, he wanted to make things right and go back to what they had before, but did Shouyou wanted the same thing?(An AU where the Haikyuu characters are not volleyball players, but instead adults with complicated lives.)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu/Miya Osamu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Osamu, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 65





	1. We Were Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> This story was purely based on a dream I had about Akaashi and Hinata, strangely enough. I hope y'all enjoy my little take on breaking everyone's heart with angst and then repairing it once again with fluff.

When Hinata Shouyou and Akaashi Keiji first met it was not an immediate connection. In fact, they just acknowledge each other's existence and conversed here and there. There was a hint of curiosity, though. One that made them want to see each other once again. And they did. They kept meeting up, again and again. They couldn't get enough of the other, it was intoxicating almost. Looking back at it, Shouyou regretted everything and more. Keiji was a dream, until he wasn't. But Shouyou didn't want to dwell on the bitter memories of his departure, instead he wanted to remember the good times which surrounded their entire relationship excluding the end. Not once did Keiji managed to make Shouyou sad or feel any negative emotion of the sort. They were happy. Shouyou missed those days with his whole self and everyone around him knew it. He was not trying to hide it anymore, he missed Akaashi Keiji more than he ever wanted to.

Shouyou didn't care about showing people he was fine, because he really wasn't, but he made an effort for his little daughter. Akaashi Shiemi, three years old and a total copy of Keiji. Black silky hair, gunmetal blue eyes, and soft white skin. Even her expressions were the same as Keiji's, and even though at first Shouyou was really happy about it, now it just felt as a sick joke played by destiny, fate, you call it. Shiemi was a mini Keiji with a hint of Shouyou's bright smile and big eyes. She was beautiful and deserved the world, at least in Shouyou's eyes. She was his daughter after all, hell, he gave birth to her even if it was C-section. But she was a constant reminder of Keiji, a very innocent one that is. Shiemi didn't know yet as she was just a baby, but with time she was going to understand how much her face unintentionally hurt her father. Shouyou loved her though, more than he loved himself. He protected the little girl from everything he could and secretly hoped that when she was older and started falling in love it wouldn't be as catastrophic as his love life was.

Yes, Shouyou's messy love life did not ended with Keiji's abandonment. He was a young and handsome man, and people all around him noticed that. Some said he wasted his life by getting pregnant and others said it made him a more mature and attractable person. The truth was, many had a crush on the redhead but never acted on it as most knew about Keiji. It was clear for everyone Shouyou was not in the mood of dating anytime soon. Maybe it was dramatic, but he couldn't see himself kissing someone other than Keiji. Hugging them, holding hands, having sex. No, Shouyou definitely couldn't do such things with someone else anymore. Keiji took his whole heart with him when he left and left Shouyou with nothing other than their shared offspring and a void inside.

But Shiemi wasn't the only constant reminder of Keiji, Oikawa Tooru was too. Keiji's older cousin and an asshole. Shouyou deduced being a jerk ran in the family, and he seriously hoped Shiemi had no genes of _that_ specifically. After all, Tooru was the whole reason why Shouyou met Keiji. He thanked him for that but despised him as well. Though, what really made Shouyou hate Tooru was the fact that the man decided to throw his whole relationship with Shouyou's stepbrother, Sugawara Koushi, down the drain by cheating on him with another man. Low, right? Shouyou hated that family so much he wished he never agreed on choosing Keiji's last name instead of his own for Shiemi. At least that way he could've denied every connection whatsoever to them, but it was already too late. _Way_ too late. 

Sugawara Koushi, Shouyou's stepbrother since he was ten years old until the age of seventeen, was the other victim of the Akaashi/Oikawa jerk pair. They considered themselves as the delusional pair that trusted them with their heart and soul and ended up completely shattered for it. Koushi felt horrible for Shouyou and Shouyou felt horrible for Koushi. There was no way to it, both of them were played. Two brothers were played by two cousins. Hilarious. But Koushi never got around what happened between Shouyou and Keiji, they were the perfect couple and then Keiji ran away for some reason. Tooru and him had a logical ending, but Shouyou and Keiji didn't. Maybe it was just meant to be, but Koushi still wanted to murder the two cousins. He wanted to grab them by the neck, insult them with everything he had and then kill them slowly. They were trash, despicable and good-looking trash.

"I swear Shouyou, what the fuck did we do to deserve _this_?" Koushi took a sip of his coffee as he stared at the redhead in front of him.

"Are you seriously thinking about them now?"

Koushi was not going to say he wasn't. He was not a liar like others. He accepted things like they were, even if they were shitty. "Well, I'm sorry, but just watching Shiemi brings back memories I wished I could simply erase from my brain," the little girl looked at him with that blank expression of hers, _Keiji's expression_. Koushi furrowed his brows at this, his niece needed to try harder if she wanted to get on his good side if she continued looking at him like that. "Just look at her. Looking so much like one parent is completely impossible. It was like she was carefully made to recreate Akaashi."

Shouyou snickered and cleaned the girl's cheeks with a napkin, she made a mess of herself with just a little spoon with ice cream. Shiemi smiled at her father and that right there melted both his and Koushi's heart.

"See? She can look like me too if she tries." Shouyou smiled back and patted her head with one hand.

Koushi frantically nodded while showering the girl with petitions to do it again. She was confused at first, as her uncle was a flowery mess of a person now that he saw her smile. But at one point she kind of understood what he wanted and smiled again. Koushi died on his sit and started mumbling about how cute she was. People in the café looked at them in awe and occasionally laughed and smiled at the scene. Shouyou couldn't help but send an apologetic smile every time to everyone that got distracted by their scandal. Times like that made him happy. He forgot about Keiji, Tooru, his broken heart, and everything that made his life miserable. Just the positive things were left, and that always included Shiemi and Koushi.

"Hinata?" a black-haired man touched Shouyou's shoulder gently.

Shouyou looked up and found dark blue eyes staring at him intensely. He knew who that was. Kageyama Tobio. His black hair and blue eyes oddly reminded him of Keiji, that was one of the reasons why Shouyou felt so unease around Tobio. 

"Kageyama, hi," Shouyou answered indicating the sit next to Koushi. Tobio nodded directing a bow towards Koushi before sitting down. "What brings you here?"

"I was here for some coffee and then I saw you. I thought it was only fair I said hi." Tobio tried to smile but it came out more on the scary side. Shiemi giggled at this and copied his move.

Let's say they looked creepy as hell.

Koushi faked a cry. "Jesus christ, stop doing that."

Tobio ruffled Shiemi's black hair with his hand and the girl giggled again. A bright smile curled her lips in such a cute way that the three men looked at her with hearts in their eyes. She was such an angel. 

The three adults continued their conversation with a couple of laughs and scary smiles. They lost track of time. To be honest, Shouyou liked Tobio as a person. Yes, he was mostly showing a scowling face and his smiles as already stated were disturbing to say the least but he tried to make Shouyou laugh and he really appreciated that. It was rather refreshing to see Shiemi interacting with an adult other than himself or Koushi. She looked quite happy too, it seemed like she enjoyed Tobio's presence as well. She couldn't speak very well as she was just three but Tobio and her managed to have a full conversation about milk and how cool it was. They mentioned strawberry milk, almond milk, chocolate milk, and all kinds of milk one could imagine. They looked very passionate about it too and Shouyou couldn't help but smile. His daughter made a milk friend, or something like that.

Koushi on the other side was looking at Shouyou. He was listening to Tobio's and Shiemi's absurd conversation but his attention was focused on his little brother. Shouyou looked so happy and proud while smiling at Shiemi's words but his eyes sometimes drifted to Tobio and his frown whenever Shiemi asked him to choose between two of his favorite types of milk. Koushi noticed this and a hint of hope sparkled inside of him. If Shouyou was finally looking at someone with romantic interest then it would be perfect. Almost three years had passed since Keiji left and Shouyou was still blaming himself for it. Koushi needed him to move on. He wanted his little brother to be _completely_ happy again, like he was once. And if he was going to move on with someone like Kageyama Tobio by his side then Koushi approved with all his heart. Shouyou deserved it, he deserved the whole world.

Of course, things couldn't be so perfect after all. A certain someone was quietly watching the scene unfold in front of him. Hinata Shouyou, Sugawara Koushi, and little Akaashi Shiemi. Three people he considered part of his family. Only the little girl was genetically related to him but Shouyou caught the family's heart, and Koushi caught his. Yes, it was Oikawa Tooru watching the three adults and the girl. He knew the black-haired man was not hitting on Koushi, but Shouyou instead. And even if he had no responsibility over it he felt the need to stop the man from continuing on his cousin's behalf. Tooru took out his phone and opened his text messages. He looked for his cousin's chat before typing.

Oikawa: Hey man, what are you up to?

Akaashi: Uhm nothing

Oikawa:（πーπ）  
Oikawa: You sure are dry 'Ji

Akaashi: Don't call me 'Ji

Oikawa: Whatever  
Oikawa: So, when are you coming back? I'm already here and hehe 

Akaashi: I'll be there tomorrow. Remember, I'm in Tokyo  
Akaashi: And what does 'hehe' mean?

Oikawa: Well, there's someone flirting with Chibi-chan where I am  
Oikawa: He also seems to be quite friendly with your little clone  
Oikawa: Koushi looks hot tho, I have to state priorities  
Oikawa: And finally, little Shiemi looks just like you, it's quite disturbing if you ask me

(Akaashi is typing...)

Tooru knew he struck a nerve there. A little grin showed on his lips as he sipped his cup of coffee. His eyes never left the table in front of him, where the subjects of conversation were having their little friendly encounter. They didn't know the chaos that was going to unfold soon enough. Tooru knew he couldn't make a move until Keiji was there too, but he really wanted to. Maybe put his arm around Koushi's shoulder and whisper sweet words on his ear until he melted and fell for him once again. Oh yes, that was definitely something he was going to do. And towards Shouyou, maybe sugarcoat everything and make him believe in them how he did before. But he didn't have a plan about what to do with Shiemi. She was a kid, right? Anything worked if Shouyou was happy. With just a couple of glances he could see how attached the girl was to her father. It was endearing but Tooru sensed something fishy about it. He somehow had the feeling the girl was going to give Keiji a hard time.

Tooru decided to stop looking and focused on all the messages Akaashi left.

Akaashi: What do you mean by 'flirting'? Is Shouyou flirting back?  
Akaashi: Who is he anyways?  
Akaashi: Tooru, I'm sorry but I don't think Suga-san would like you saying he's hot. I wonder if he would actually punch you.  
Akaashi: Does she look that much like me?

Oikawa: See for yourself.

(Oikawa sent three attachments.)

Tooru looked at the pictures he took. One was showing Shiemi with a blank expression on her face as she was sipping a milk carton, other was about Koushi smiling and the last one was Shouyou with a small grin on his face as he cleaned Shiemi's cheek which had some milk on it somehow. He knew those pictures were going to break Keiji.

Akaashi: I was not ready for that  
Akaashi: She does look like me

Oikawa: Aren't you saying something about Chibi-chan?

Akaashi: ...  
Akaashi: Can you send another one?

The man chuckled and took another picture of the redhead.

(Oikawa sent an attachment.)

Akaashi: He hasn't change a thing

Oikawa: But if you don't get here soon I think Mr. I look exactly like Keiji will steal him from you  
Oikawa: Scratch that, he's not yours anymore

Akaashi: Suga-san in not yours anymore either  
Akaashi: Cheating bastard

Oikawa: ಠﭛಠ  
Oikawa: There was no need to go there, 'Ji  
Oikawa: And, I don't see anyone hitting on him like they are hitting on Chibi-chan so no need to be worried

Akaashi: Do you know the man who is flirting with Shouyou?

Oikawa: Hell nah  
Oikawa: Wait...  
Oikawa: I think is Tobio-chan

Tooru narrowed his eyes and took a good look at the black-haired male who was saying his goodbyes now. Shiemi was clinging to his long legs until Shouyou told her they were going to see him again soon. _That's bad_. Tooru could see his face clearly as he passed his sit. It was definitely Kageyama Tobio. The brat who had always being after Shouyou even if the latter was oblivious to it all. Also, he was too hung up on Keiji to notice anyone else. He was no good news.

Akaashi: Kageyama Tobio you say?

Oikawa: Unfortunately yes  
Oikawa: The brat has your daughter wrapped around his finger  
Oikawa: She was clinging to his legs demanding him to stay longer but stopped when Chibi-chan said they were going to see him soon  
Oikawa: Keiji, you better get here soon. You've already lost so much time.

Akaashi: I know  
Akaashi: I'll be there tomorrow

Oikawa: Hurry

Tooru shut his phone and raised his gaze once again. This time he met both Shouyou's and Koushi's eyes. The two were looking at him with wide eyes and indescribable expressions. They looked so _shocked_. Tooru gave them a grin and raised his hand. He could swear the two brothers cursed his existence with so much hate even the devil would be scared. Koushi was the first one to break out of his astonishment. He said some things to Shouyou and approached Tooru with a visible frown. Tooru pointed at the sit in font of him and Koushi took it. He looked like a robot malfunctioning when their gazes met.

"The fuck are you doing here?"

_Uh, that hurts_.

"What do you mean, Mr. Refreshing? I'm just having coffee." Tooru acted all innocent but the smirk on his face made chills go through Koushi's whole body.

"Is Akaashi here?" Koushi was getting nervous now. _If_ Akaashi were to be there then all progress Shouyou made today with Tobio was going to straightly go down the drain. There were a couple of outcomes; Shouyou was going to break down, Shouyou was going to go back to Keiji, Shouyou was going to ignore everything, Shouyou was going to turn into something really bad or Shouyou was going to be totally fine. Out of all of them, Koushi had no idea which of them was the most probable. The only one that seemed impossible was the last one but the others had the same chance. And honestly, he didn't wanted to see any of them happen.

"Keiji? Uhm, I don't know. Maybe." the brown-haired male raised an eyebrow seemingly amused. "Why? Are you more interested in my cousin than me? That kind of hurts, Koushi." Koushi hissed at the sound of Tooru saying his name.

"Don't say my name," Koushi brought their faces closer. "Make sure neither Shouyou nor Shiemi see his face. Or I am afraid I'll have to do some things I've been wanting to for these past three years."

Tooru scoffed. "Suga, they have to work it out eventually. I mean, they have a daughter together," Tooru was not trying to get on Koushi's bad side so quickly but his mere presence already did that, so why hold back? "Besides, Keiji still loves Chibi-chan. And I could bet my life Chibi-chan loves him just as strongly too."

That was the last thing Koushi needed to snap. Tooru saying Keiji still loved his brother? Yeah, right. That just proved how wrong the family had the concept of love established. If Keiji still loved Shouyou why did he left like that? It was so ridiculous it made him laugh. Tooru looked at him with a raised eyebrow and sipping his almost finished coffee. _What's so funny, Koushi?_

"That's so funny, really. I can't lie and say my brother is over Akaashi because in reality he isn't, but you saying Akaashi still loves him? That's a pretty bold confession, forgive me if I do not believe it in the slightest," Tooru frowned. Why was it so difficult to believe Keiji was in love with Shouyou? Yeah, maybe he wasn't around for three years but that didn't mean anything definitive. Keiji had feelings too, just like Shouyou. It pissed him off how people took Shouyou's side just because Keiji was the one who left instead of the other way around. He had his reasons, even if they were wicked stupid. But they were still valid and he was going to make sure both Koushi and Shouyou knew them. "You lot deserve a fucking award for being the biggest assholes of assholes. You should've never came back and I hope you plan on leaving soon. If Akaashi is here tell him the same thing, tell him to fuck off like he did three years ago. Shouyou doesn't need him and neither does Shiemi. I'll make sure they never need him because between you and me, _Oikawa_ , they both deserve better than him."

The way Koushi spit his name made Tooru sick. He deserved his hate, he knew that, but seeing it face to face was something else. "Enough with that. That's between Keiji and Chibi-Chan," Tooru knew it was dangerous territory but he had to say it. "I want to talk about you and me, Koushi."

"You are crazy. There's no 'you and me' anymore. It's dead, _you_ killed it."

_I know that god dammit._

Shouyou approached the two fighting men in order to stop whatever was happening. Shiemi was sleeping in his arms. "Koushi, let's go. Don't waste your energy on this."

Tooru wanted to scream and stop the two men but he didn't know what to say anymore. Koushi was right, but that didn't mean he was not going to try to get back whatever they had three years ago. He had to get Koushi back as much as Keiji needed to get Shouyou back. They were pretty much screwed if they approached the gray-haired male first, they had to go for the weak one, the one who was sure to break if they showed any type of affection. Well, if Keiji showed any kind of affection. Shouyou was their only way of gaining them back. If Shouyou forgave Keiji then Koushi would forgive him. It was pretty simple actually. The only thing they had to do was get the redhead alone.

Oikawa: Keiji

Akaashi: Hm?

Oikawa: They saw me

(Akaashi is typing...)

Oikawa: Shouyou did not approached me  
Oikawa: That means he didn't talk about you, so don't worry

Akaashi: I'm not sure if that's supposed to make me feel better or not (?)

Oikawa: Good, trust me  
Oikawa: It was Suga that came to talk to me  
Oikawa: It didn't turned out as well  
Oikawa: He even threatened to punch you if you showed your face

Akaashi: Nice

Oikawa: Not nice, dude ( 〇□〇）  
Oikawa: However, I figured out something

Akaashi: And that is?...

Oikawa: The only way of getting them back is by convincing Chibi-chan alone

Akaashi: Yeah, that is pretty obvious. You didn't seriously thought you could reason with Suga-san, did you?

Oikawa: Well...

Akaashi: Whatever  
Akaashi: What else happened?

Oikawa: Not anything I want to particularly remember  
Oikawa: I can tell you Chibi-chan is just as short as he was three years ago

Akaashi: Cute

Oikawa: Also, your little clone is very attached to him  
Oikawa: Like VERY

Akaashi: And that's a problem how?

Oikawa: She'll give you a hard time. I'm sure she will block every interaction you two might have.

Akaashi: What if she recognizes me as her father and gets attached too?

Oikawa: Yeah, right  
Oikawa: I think you two are going to fight over Chibi-chan's attention and as of now, she has the lead by far

Tooru wasn't lying when he said he was nervous for tomorrow. It was the day were both him and Keiji confronted their past lovers after three years. His thoughts couldn't help but wander to the past. When they all were friends and happy. When they loved each other so intensely it was suffocating. When everything was fine and shiny.

_We were really perfect, huh?_

-‘๑’-

Shouyou sighed for the fifth time in less than ten minutes. They just went out of the café were the _lovely_ encounter with Oikawa Tooru took place, and Shouyou couldn't be more tired of listening to his brother's protests. Koushi had been ranting about how mad he was and Shouyou could feel Shiemi stirring in his arms every time Koushi spoke a little too loud. But Koushi never said anything they talked about, not even once. He kept repeating _'Oh, how dare that flatass say shit like that?'_ but he never actually said what that 'shit' was. Shouyou, with all the curiosity in the world, tried to get it out of Koushi but he failed every time. _What did Oikawa said, anyways? I'm pretty sure it wasn't about them, if not Koushi would be punching the hell out of him right now._

"Koushi," Shouyou called out for his brother while stroking Shiemi's hair with his free hand. He needed the girl to keep sleeping. "Stop that already. Tell me what he said."

Koushi started chuckling nervously. "Listen Sho, I don't think you want to know."

Shouyou raised his eyebrows. Yeah, he was a hundred percent sure he didn't wanted to know but his curiosity was stronger than his common sense. Oikawa said something that troubled Koushi to the point of him wasting his breath ranting about it. Shouyou _needed_ to know. He had an idea though, it probably was about Keiji. Something that was going to bring him down to his knees crying. For example, the news of Keiji's wedding with his new lover or something like that. He wasn't sure how bad it was, but it was obvious it was bad enough for Shouyou to stop functioning for at least a week.

Koushi sighed. He knew he couldn't keep it from his little brother, not something as big as this. "Oikawa said Keiji still loves you."

The redhead stopped walking abruptly. His grasp on his daughter's tiny body tightened, but it wasn't strong enough to hurt her. He blinked a couple of times, a confused and hopeful look on his face startled Koushi. _Fuck._ Somehow, Shouyou already knew that, at least a bit. He knew Keiji, he wasn't one to lose feelings, but it still felt like dream. After all, almost three years had passed since he left, maybe that was enough time for the black-haired male to move on. But Oikawa confirmed what Shouyou so much hoped for, unless it was just a lie to play with his feelings all over again. Which in fact, was a probability. Shouyou had to keep himself from falling to his knees, he had his daughter in his arms soundlessly sleeping. Falling and breaking down wasn't an option. Instead, he composed himself with a shook of his head and continued walking. Koushi followed shortly after.

"Well..."

"I guess I expected that much from Keiji," Shouyou said. "Is he here in Miyagi?"

Koushi shook his head. "I don't know. Oikawa just said some bullshit about maybe or maybe not."

"That means he isn't here just yet, but he _is_ coming."

"Shouyou, listen to me," Koushi stopped and grabbed Shouyou's free shoulder. He was certain Shouyou was dying inside, probably screaming and crying, but he couldn't break down because of Shiemi in his arms. Everything they've been working for this past three years was going down the drain the second Keiji showed his face, Koushi knew that much at least. Keiji was going to bring back happy and shiny Shouyou, but how much it was going to last? Koushi preferred Shouyou to build his way back to his past self slowly with someone new, like Kageyama Tobio for an instance. Not Akaashi Keiji. Not him again. "You are older now, and more mature for what it's worth. Falling for Akaashi's charms is not going to take you to a good place. Look where you are now because of him, because of his stupid love. So please Shouyou, if he does appear don't let him get to you."

Shouyou giggled. A bright smile appeared on his lips. He was happy. _Happy_. 

"Don't worry, I am over it now."

They both knew that was a big fat lie. He wasn't over it. Not three years nor twenty-three were going to let him get over Keiji. He only had to appear and say those sweet words of his and Shouyou was going to fall in the dark, but comforting void of Keiji's love once again. Shouyou knew it. Koushi knew it. Keiji knew it. Tooru knew it. That was exactly why Shouyou had to keep it simple and short. He was going to make up with Keiji and agree on letting him hang out with their daughter if he wanted to but nothing else. He couldn't look at Keiji's blue eyes or touch his soft, wild hair or admire his monotone voice. _No_. Shiemi deserved to meet her other father, that was the only reason why Shouyou was going to let the man see her. It wasn't for personal reasons at all.

"Shouyou, take that lie somewhere else. You can't fool your big bro," Koushi gave him a sad smile. "That's why I have to bring the big guns out."

Shouyou _fucking knew_ what he was talking about. No, rather _who_ he was talking about.

"Koushi no. Don't call them."

Koushi brought his phone out, dialing a number. "Promise me then, promise me you are not going to let Akaashi fuck with you again."

Shouyou couldn't promise that. He had no control over his absurd feelings for the father of his daughter. But he had to try, for his own sake. Not only was his mental stability at stake here, his already shattered heart was too.

"Only if you promise not to get back with Oikawa."

"Fucking done."

Koushi and Shouyou shook hands, both smiling at each other. Were they going to break that promise? Yeah, most likely, but who cared? The point was to at least believe they could do it. They needed to believe they were strong enough to finally face their past lovers, it was time anyways. They couldn't escape forever. 

Shouyou's phone interrupted their silent walk. It was a single _ring_ followed by a couple more. The redhead took the phone out and opened his text messages, immediately finding the sender of his new messages.

Atsumu: Something tells me you need me right now and you were about to call  
Atsumu: It's like this sixth sense  
Atsumu: I feel like my brain is connected to yours, so every time you are anxious about something it sends signals to me

Shouyou chuckled at the messages.

Hinata: Atsumu-san, what the fuck?

Atsumu: I know you are laughing baby, don't deny the obvious

Hinata: Yeah, right

Atsumu: I loooove when you are cold to me  
Atsumu: It turns me on  
Atsumu: On that note, when are we having sex again?

Hinata: What do you mean by 'again'?  
Hinata: We haven't done anything

Atsumu: I mean you are partially right  
Atsumu: In my brain we've had at least eighty-nine rounds

Koushi made a disgusted face at the sight of Shouyou's messages. "What is wrong with his head?"

Shouyou laughed. "I have no idea. He keeps asking me to marry him."

Koushi hid a smile. Okay, maybe Miya Atsumu was a good option for Shouyou to move on. He was a fucking mess but he made Shouyou smile and that was enough to convince Koushi. Besides, him and his twin brother were the other two people who comforted Shouyou when Keiji shamelessly left without saying a word. Atsumu was always there and Koushi was sure he was never going to leave. Not ever. Atsumu was hung up on Shouyou since they all were little kids. It was always Atsumu, Osamu, and Shouyou, ever since they were six and five years old. Of course, Koushi was part of the group but the twins were closer to Shouyou in an indescribable way. Osamu too had feelings for Shouyou but they were gentler than Atsumu's, maybe even fainter. He was in love with Shouyou's ways, but he didn't want a real relationship with the redhead. Unlike Atsumu, who wanted to marry him and have lots of sex and cuddles session until they died.

Atsumu: You accidentally left me on read Shouyou-kun

Hinata: I was talking with Koushi  
Hinata: We are walking right now and writing with one hand is hard enough on its own

Atsumu: What happened to your other hand?

Hinata: Shiemi is asleep, I'm carrying her

Atsumu: JKEKJFCBJKBEC  
Atsumu: Lemme see Shouyou-kun, she is my future stepdaughter 

Shouyou rolled his eyes and gave Koushi his phone for him to take a picture. Koushi rapidly nodded as the happy brother he was and took the most perfect picture he could of both Shouyou and Shiemi. A true masterpiece.

(Hinata sent an attachment.)

Atsumu: ...  
Atsumu: wARN A MAN SHOUYOU-KUN

Hinata: You said you wanted to see  
Hinata: What are you complaining for now?

Atsumu: I mean yEaH but KBSDJKWQ  
Atsumu: I'm fine now, I swear  
Atsumu: You look so beautiful Shouyou- kun, perfect for me  
Atsumu: When are we getting married, again?

Hinata: Dunno

Shouyou sent a kissing emoji before turning his phone off. He couldn't deny Atsumu's insistent proposals amused him. He was grateful he had the twins in his life.

"Now I'm not sure whether I want you to be with Kageyama or Atsumu." Koushi scratched his chin trying to think.

Shouyou almost choked on his own spit. "W-What?"

Koushi smiled mischievously. "Akaashi is showing his handsome face one of these days, before that happens you need to change your mindset. I personally think Kageyama will understand your situation and will try to make you fall in love with him with all he got, you know how obsessive and determined he is. Now, Atsumu. He'll definitely shove all his love your way and you'll eventually fall for his ridiculousness," Koushi caught the small hint of curiousness mixed with uncertainty on Shouyou's eyes. "You have to let Akaashi know you are not available anymore for him."

_What if I want him to know I am in fact available for him and only him?_ Shouyou knew he was playing a dangerous game, and that Koushi's idea was actually for the best but he couldn't see himself using Tobio's or Atsumu's feelings to his advantage just for selfish reasons. They were people too, with feelings towards _him_. They deserved someone who was going to give their all to them, and if he couldn't do that much then he was not going to get their hopes up.

That moment right there made Shouyou hate Keiji even more. He couldn't return other people's genuine feelings because of him. Because of his stupid beautiful smile, gunmetal blue eyes, cute glasses, soft lips, wild black hair, and another infinite stuff he was not going to remember. Keiji was guilty of stealing his poor heart and didn't even had the decency of returning it when he left. Instead, he took it with him as a prize to treasure. As a fucking souvenir of his long trip to Miyagi.

_Why did you leave if we were perfect, huh Keiji? Was I not enough for your greedy ass?_


	2. Three Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this did not ended up how I wanted it to but I am still happy with it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much I did writing it!

Koushi wanted to punch the fuck out of Tooru at the moment. Why, you ask? Well, somehow the fucker got his number and decided to send a _pretty_ picture of both him and Akaashi Keiji in the café Shouyou and him met him a day ago. The message was simple, but managed to drag the worst out of him. The absolute worst. Tooru managed to upset him so much with such normal and mundane things that it was almost amusing. _Almost_. 

Oikawa: Hi Mr. Refreshing!  
Oikawa: It's your always beautiful Oikawa Tooru, if you didn't noticed  
Oikawa: ｡^‿^｡

_What's with the emoticons? Is he a kid?_

Oikawa: Now, that's mean. You are looking at my messages but not answering  
Oikawa: Well, I hope this encourages you to respond

(Oikawa sent an attachment.)

Did Koushi left him on read? Yes. He didn't know how to answer to a picture of the two cousins he hated the most in the whole world. He didn't wanted to make Shouyou worry, but he was going to find out about the cousins whereabouts sooner or later. It was better if he heard it from him other than some random person worrying for his wellbeing. Koushi ruffled his light gray hair trying to get some perspective on the situation. Going to the café? No. Sending some assassin after them? Good idea. Warning Shouyou? Must do. Crying? Hell yeah.

Sugawara: Shouyou

Koushi waited a couple of minutes before Shouyou answered. Every second that passed made Koushi's stomach feel even sicker and sicker.

Hinata: Kou?

Sugawara: Finally  
Sugawara: We have a delicate situation in our hands. I need you to drop everything you are doing and sit down.

Hinata: Well, write already  
Hinata: Shiemi wants to go out and keeps pulling my hair to get me to pay attention to her

Sugawara: NCJNWOI CUTE  
Sugawara: But that ain't the problem here  
Sugawara: Look at this

(Sugawara sent an attachment.)

(Hinata is typing...)

The gray-haired male was eating his perfectly done nails now. _Shouyou is so going to freak out_. 

Hinata: The fuck?  
Hinata: Is that Keiji and Oikawa?  
Hinata: Koushi, we are not leaving our houses for at least a week  
Hinata: Besides, how did you get that picture?

Koushi knew Shouyou was trying to act calm and not focus on Keiji but something told him his little brother was already at the brim of crying.

Sugawara: Oikawa somehow got my number  
Sugawara: I'm almost blocking him  
Sugawara: Are you okay, Shouyou?

Hinata: I'm fine

Koushi knew that was a lie but decided not to insist on it. Instead he went to another chat he had, a group chat to be exact.

Sugawara: Guys, code fucking red

Atsumu: Are you serious?

Osamu: For real?

Sugawara: For real.

(Sugawara sent an attachment.)

Osamu: ...

Atsumu: ...  
Atsumu: They are both there?  
Atsumu: BOTH?!

Sugawara: Yes, and I think Shouyou is going to have a stroke soon enough

Osamu: Shouyou knows? Who told him?

Sugawara: I did stupid, he had to know

Atsumu: True  
Atsumu: We have to get there as soon as possible

Osamu: As much as I agree with you 'Tsumu, we are not even in Japan

Sugawara: Where the fuck are you then?  
Sugawara: Shouyou said he is not going out for at least a week  
Sugawara: We have to make the two assholes disappear if we want Shouyou to survive

Atsumu: Well...  
Atsumu: We are not getting to Japan in at least a month but I can sneak out and somehow get to Miyagi

Osamu: No  
Osamu: Suga-san, you'll have to manage this by yourself. Though, please call for everything you need  
Osamu: We can send an assassin or something

Sugawara: Yes please

Atsumu: On it

Osamu: Please take care of Shouyou and yourself. We know this isn't just painful for him but for you too, Suga-san. I suggest you both go talk to those fuckers and show them they are the shittiest trash in the world. 

Atsumu: HELL YEAH 'SAMU  
Atsumu: And tell Shouyou-kun to tell Akaashi-kun he is already taken by me

Sugawara: Will do  
Sugawara: Thank you guys, and please get here as soon as you can

Koushi turned off his phone and grabbed a coat from his closet. He needed to get to Shouyou's house before any catastrophe happened. He couldn't bare to think about Shouyou crying with Shiemi on his arms asking what was wrong. Only the thought broke his heart. He felt responsible for his little brother, he was not going to break down again. Not on his watch.

-‘๑’-

Shouyou was fine. He really was. Well, if fine meant being on the floor with his daughter on his lap cleaning his tears for him. Shiemi was there silently, wiping the tears from Shouyou's cheeks every so often. She didn't know why her father was crying but she figured out they were sad tears, so she did what he always did with her. Her hands were tiny and soft, but they were able to bring the tiniest of smiles from Shouyou. He wasn't okay, but Shiemi made it better. Her mere presence made Shouyou's heart feel better and he was eternally grateful to Keiji for giving him the opportunity to be a parent of the sweetest little girl, Akaashi Shiemi.

But yet again, Keiji was the whole reason why he was in this situation in the first place. Shouyou knew he was coming back since Koushi and him saw Tooru barely a day ago, but he didn't expect it to be so quick. He thought he was going to have more time to get his life together. He never faced the fact of Keiji's departure correctly, and now he was being forced to do so. It was heartbreaking. His whole body ache, but he knew it was just his brain telling him to think about something other than Keiji.

 _Keiji, Keiji, Keiji. That asshole_.

Shiemi blinked a couple of times at the sight of her father crying even more. She couldn't bare seeing her only parent, as of now, suffering for something unknown to her. She opted for giving her dad a small smile. "D-Don't cry, d-daddy."

That was enough for Shouyou to stop weeping. "I'm sorry princess, I'm sorry," he whispered running his fingers through her black hair. Shiemi snuggled on Shouyou's chest and wrapped her small arms as best as she could around him. Shouyou tried to calm down, but feeling his daughter comforting him that way made him feel guilty. _She's only three, I am supposed to comfort her when she cries, not the other way around_. "Shiemi, honey, I'm sorry."

The girl shook her head and tightened her grip on Shouyou's body. She knew her dad was not feeling okay and she was going to do everything she could to make him feel better, even if it was minimal. For her, Shouyou deserved everything because he was the best father in the entire world. He was always there for her, it was her turn to be there for him.

They both stayed like that for a couple of minutes, until Shouyou heard the sound of keys being used on his front door. He didn't cared though, he knew it was only Koushi. His suspects were confirmed when he saw light gray hair frantically looking for him. Koushi's eyes landed on his already red ones. Shouyou felt tired but he managed to make a little smile for his big brother. Koushi sat down on the floor in front of Shouyou and took the already sleeping girl on his arms, giving Shouyou some freedom. 

"I'm taking Shiemi to her room, don't move Shouyou," Koushi stood up from the floor with Shiemi still on his arms and walked through the hallway towards Shiemi's room. It was decorated with minimalist furniture and the walls were colored in a light blue tone. There were some paintings on them like white flowers and stars. Koushi put her in her small bed. She recently started transitioning from a crib to a bed and it was lifechanging for Shouyou. Koushi smiled at the thought of Shouyou screaming happily about Shiemi's progress, but rapidly left the room after making sure the girl was fully covered and comfortable. He returned to the living room and saw Shouyou still in the same position as he left him. "Come on Shouyou, please."

Koushi grabbed Shouyou's hand and helped him stand up. They both walked to the couch and sat down in front of each other. Shouyou let his small body fall, landing on Koushi's. The gray-haired male sighed and started rubbing Shouyou's back with one hand and playing with his hair with the other. Orange locks of hair tangled themselves on his fingers and he brushed them away trying to let his brother relax.

"Koushi..." Shouyou mumbled wrapping his arms around his brother's waist. "I'm so exhausted."

"I know Shou, I know," Koushi let some tears out. They landed on top of Hinata's head, getting his hair slightly wet. "I'm sorry Shouyou."

Koushi could feel his shirt getting wetter by the second, that's when he knew Shouyou was crying too. "It's not your fault Koushi. It's on them, it's all on them."

They both were crying holding each other lightly. That's all they needed, support from the people that understood their pain. Both of them pushed their feelings aside about their past lovers in order to forget, and now that they appeared three years later everything came back rushing. All the I love you's, the light touches, the sweet words, everything. Shouyou couldn't get Keiji's face out of his head now that he saw him again for the first time in almost three years. He almost looked the same, but he was a little bit more mature and his expression was softer now. He looked absolutely astonishing. Shouyou had no idea he could fall in love twice for the same person. Koushi though, wasn't thinking about Tooru's face, but his words instead. How he told him how much he loved him for him then to find out about his boyfriend's affair with another man. He didn't blame Iwaizumi Hajime, he didn't know about his existence until Koushi confronted both of them. But he still hated his guts, he hated both of their guts.

"Fuck them," Shouyou said picking his head up and staring right into Koushi's eyes. "Let's go tell them to get the fuck out of here."

Koushi wasn't so sure about Shouyou's plan but he nodded nevertheless. He didn't had anything else to lose, they both didn't. Their hearts were already broken.

Shouyou took Koushi's phone from his coat's pocket and unblocked it. He entered the chats and looked for the unknown number he figured out was Tooru. He was right as he saw the continuous messages not responded. He tried to ignore the image on top but his eyes still betrayed him. He saw Keiji's face again. _Again_.

Oikawa: (╥_╥)  
Oikawa: You were so amazed you left me on read  
Oikawa: I expected it but damn, it still hurts  
Oikawa: Now it's getting personal  
Oikawa:（πーπ）

Sugawara: Hello, this is Hinata

(Oikawa is typing...)

Koushi was still hugging Shouyou while keeping his eyes focused on the phone. He had no idea what Shouyou was going to say but he hoped for the best.

Oikawa: Chibi-chan? Are you writing for Suga now? That's unexpected to be honest  
Oikawa: Do you want me to switch with Keiji? (・ω<)  
Oikawa: I mean, I figured Suga already told you about him being here in Miyagi and all

Sugawara: Yes, I know about that and no, I don't need you to switch with him

Oikawa: Wow Chibi-chan, you are pretty serious, aren't you?  
Oikawa: Keiji says it's hot

Shouyou blushed but shook his head when Koushi smacked his head. "Don't let him distract you Shouyou."

Sugawara: Tell him to keep his opinion to himself. I do not care.  
Sugawara: But I'm not here to fight with any of you

Oikawa: Ouch  
Oikawa: That masochist is smirking, I think he likes your new attitude 

Sugawara: I d o n ' t c a re

Oikawa: (´・＿・`)

Sugawara: Are you at the café from yesterday?

Oikawa: Yes, why? You want to meet?

Sugawara: Yes. We'll be there soon

Oikawa: Okay :)

Shouyou turned off the phone and looked at Koushi with wide eyes. "What the fuck did I just do?"

Koushi raised his shoulders and stood up from the couch. "I have no idea, but let's have a shower. You still have my clothes here, right?"

Shouyou nodded and went to his room, he picked out clothes for himself and Koushi. He threw it to his bed and headed to the bathroom after telling Koushi to call someone to take care of Shiemi. He was _not_ taking his daughter to meet her father now. Koushi took the message and called the only person he could think of, Sawamura Daichi. Shiemi liked him enough and he always was totally up for taking care of the girl. Koushi felt bad for taking advantage of Daichi's feelings towards him but the situation required it. Koushi called the man and got a positive answer right away.

By the time they were both ready, there was a knock on the door. Shouyou opened the door with his hair still dripping water from the shower and gave the man a bright smile. Sawamura Daichi was standing there, in all his gloriousness. Shouyou let him in and told him to get comfortable. Daichi nodded and sat down on the couch. A couple of minutes later, Koushi walked towards him with a smile.

"Hello Daichi. I'm sorry for asking for this in such a short notice." Koushi excused himself.

"Don't worry. I already saw Akaashi and Oikawa, I figured you were going to call soon enough." Daichi gave him a sad look, everyone in Miyagi seemed to know about their disastrous love life.

Shouyou intervened before Koushi could say something. "Daichi-san, I'm really sorry but we have to go. If Shiemi wakes up don't hesitate to call or go to the café if things get out of hand. I really appreciate this."

Daichi nodded giving the redhead a soft smile. The three men said their goodbyes and soon enough Koushi and Shouyou were on their way to the infamous café. They were nervous, even to the point of holding hands in a way of encouragement. They were going to see them and talk properly after almost three years. _Three years_. Shouyou's heart was beating faster and stronger than usual, he almost felt like he was going to throw it up. Koushi was boiling on the inside. All his bottled up anger was starting to show, and his heavy aura proved it.

"Koushi, you are scaring everyone." Shouyou looked around to see people backing away from them.

Koushi smiled apologetically. "Oops."

Shouyou shook his head trying to concentrate on the street in front of him. But it was impossible, Keiji always managed to creep inside of his thoughts. Also, now he felt guilty about leaving Daichi with a sleeping Shiemi in his apartment. It was so unfair for someone to take care of his own child because he was too afraid to let her meet her other father yet. Shouyou felt really bad for Daichi.

"Daichi-san and Kageyama are close, right?"

Koushi nodded.

"Then would it be wrong if I tell Kageyama to help Daichi-san out and make him company? I feel so bad leaving him there alone." Shouyou took his phone out already getting into Kageyama's chat.

"Absolutely not. Do that, I think Kageyama will like it." Koushi smiled to himself. Shouyou was giving Kageyama more trust than he had given someone other than the twins in the past few years. That meant progress, very good progress.

Shouyou nodded and started texting Kageyama.

Hinata: Kags, hey. I'm sorry to disturb you

Kageyama: Hinata hi, it's fine, you are not disturbing me  
Kageyama: What do you need?

Hinata: Well, Daichi-san is taking care of Shiemi all alone in my apartment and I felt guilty about it so I wanted to ask you if you could help him out  
Hinata: You don't have to though

Kageyama: I'll do it.

Hinata: Really?

Kageyama: Say 'Please, Tobio-kun' and I'll be there in less than five minutes

Hinata: Greedy much, aren't we?  
Hinata But fine  
Hinata: Please Tobio-kun. Please take care of Shiemi with Daichi-san

Kageyama: Done

Shouyou shrugged and put his phone back on his pocket. He felt some butterflies fluttering inside of his stomach but they were almost unnoticeable. Tobio made him feel butterflies. That was new, no one besides Keiji managed to do such thing. And now, Tobio was the second person who did it. Shouyou felt his heart tightening inside of his chest. He knew Tobio liked him but he couldn't accept his feelings yet. But maybe with time those little butterflies inside of his stomach will get bigger. Maybe he could have feelings for Tobio and forget Keiji once and for all. But who was he fooling? The second he saw Keiji again he was going to forget all about Tobio, Atsumu or anyone else who crossed his mind besides Keiji.

"We are here," Koushi announced tightening his grip on Shouyou's hand. The redhead hissed and looked at his brother. "Sorry, Shou."

They both took a deep breath and opened the door of the café. The light smell of coffee and sweets filled the brothers' noses. It was comforting until they felt two pairs of eyes fixed on them. Shouyou covered his mouth with his free hand and so did Koushi. They both snorted for no reason and walked towards the counter, they were received with a sympathetic smiled by the owner of the café. 

"A so needed reunion after all these years?" the owner said.

Koushi nodded. "Well, it's not needed actually but we can't run away from our past, can we?"

The owner nodded and gave them two cups of coffee on the house. They deserved at least that much. Koushi and Shouyou thanked him and walked towards the two expecting males.

"What the fuck are they looking at?" Koushi whispered.

"I don't know but I'm regretting this." Shouyou whispered back.

"Should we turn back and run away?" Koushi whispered again.

"Hell yeah." Shouyou whispered back again.

But they were already sitting down in front of the two cousins somehow. They didn't even notice how or when, but they were there. Shouyou moved uncomfortably on his sit and elbowed Koushi. The two started bickering silently while the other two just looked at them. They were trying to stall all the possible time. Shouyou definitely did not thought that through. He not once dared to see Keiji but he felt his gaze on him. Dangerously analyzing him.

"For fuck's sake, we are here too." Tooru said rolling his eyes.

"No one asked, Oikawa." Koushi spat and Shouyou chuckled.

Now the two brothers were snorting uncomfortably again. 

"What is it with you, are you drugged or something?"

Koushi and Shouyou composed themselves. Shouyou was fidgeting with his fingers under the table while his gaze stayed down. Koushi and Oikawa were having a stare battle though, and it was starting to get in Keiji's nerves.

"Shouyou, look at me," Keiji said for the first time, but the redhead shook his head. " _Please_."

Not in a hundred years Shouyou thought the first thing he was going to do when he saw Keiji again was laugh and look down. Yeah, his laugh was more on the nervous and awkward side but he was still laughing and that was the most stupid thing he could've done. But listening to Keiji asking him nicely to look at him was a whole other experience. He didn't know what to do. His brain was blank and his eyes had unconsciously landed on Keiji's. Blue eyes against brown ones. Shouyou could feel tears running down his cheeks but he didn't cared. Just knowing that Keiji was actually in front of him and he was conscious of that made him realize how much he really missed the man. 

Koushi cursed gritting his teeth and pulled Shouyou to his chest, hiding his face from the two cousins. Shouyou was crying, he couldn't let the starving crows get what they wanted. They wanted weakness, and that was exactly what Shouyou was serving. Shouyou snuggled closer to Koushi and wrapped his arms around him while still crying. He didn't cared if Keiji was watching him break down because of him, actually, he was glad he did. He wanted Keiji to see what he caused.

Keiji furrowed his brows and closed his eyes as tightly as possible. He couldn't bare to see the redhead crying. He knew it was his fault, but he desperately craved for being the one holding Shouyou right now. Not Koushi, not anyone, but him. Oikawa looked his way and wrinkled his nose at the sight of Keiji looking all broken. That's what he meant when he said Keiji had feelings too. Yeah, maybe Shouyou was the one crying right now but Keiji was one blink away from taking Shouyou from Koushi's embrace. Keiji wanted to feel Shouyou again and there was only one thing stopping him. Koushi.

"Shouyou you idiot, I told you this was a bad idea," Koushi stroked Shouyou's orange hair. His attention flickered towards the black-haired man sitting opposite to him. He was able to see the desperation on his eyes and quivering lips, it was almost pathetic to witness. Koushi knew he was going to regret his next words with his whole self but there was no other viable option. Shouyou was never going to get over Keiji unless they talked. But again, that only could go two ways, either they made up and tried to get back whatever they had or they simply didn't and kept living their lives as they were now. Two horrible outcomes. "I hate that you are the only one who can make this right, Akaashi. Shouyou is only going to listen to you, and as much as I hate to say it, he needs you right now. _He fucking needs you_. So if you would be so kind to walk away with him and sort things out I think I would appreciate it." Koushi's eyes were full of hate and both Keiji and Oikawa could see it, but the worriedness on them was even more visible.

Keiji didn't need to be told twice. He stood up from his sit and took Shouyou's shivering body on his arms. The so familiar but yet strange embrace made Shouyou weep even louder. Keiji was holding him and he was holding Keiji. There was nothing in the world that could compare to how perfectly Keiji and Shouyou complimented each other. From their quite opposite physical features to their contrasting personalities, everything was so different but so perfect at the same time. They were perfect together and no one could argue that, not even themselves.

Tooru sighed and shook his head. That did not go how he was expecting. He somehow figured out Koushi was going to start growling and barking at them if they even tried to touch Shouyou. Instead, he was the one who gave up comforting Shouyou in order for Keiji to be able to do so. He was surprised, in a good way, for this change of character. But he knew Koushi was not making neither Keiji nor him any favors, he permitted it only for Shouyou's sake. Even so, Tooru wanted to believe Koushi still had at least a sparkle of what he felt for them before.

"No."

"What?" Tooru was even more surprised to see Koushi staring at him directly.

"I do not feel anything for you nor Akaashi," Koushi's frown made Tooru giggle. He was lying and his face declared it. Koushi frowned even more and ruffled his hair with one hand trying to distract himself from Tooru's smile. "I mean, if I do feel something I can say it's more on the negative side. Like disgust, annoyance, hatred, ra-"

"I get it." Tooru cut him off before Koushi could continue mentioning every single negative emotion there was in the world. 

Koushi nodded and diverted his attention to the two standing males hugging each other. Akaashi Keiji and Hinata Shouyou. Two halves of the same heart. It was quite heartbreaking to see Keiji's sad eyes but he reminded himself _he_ was who broke his little brother. _He_ was the one who made Shouyou a mess, leaving him to fend for himself and their daughter. It was difficult to feel any kind of sympathy for him. Keiji wasn't a bad person and Koushi knew it, but if it came to choose a side he was forever going to choose Shouyou. It was always going to be Shouyou, it didn't matter whether Keiji was good or bad.

Shouyou was sure Keiji's shirt was wet from all his tears but he couldn't see himself minding that at the moment. Keiji was holding him once again and that was everything that went through his mind. It was all Keiji again. _Fucking again_. He couldn't say he felt safe though, he knew he was emotionally in danger. If he kept hanging on to Keiji then everything was just going downhill from there. He already made the big mistake of looking at Keiji's beautiful eyes, that was strike one. Now, strike two was around the corner and he could feel it coming. His whole body told him to get away, to walk as far away as possible and not look back but he couldn't do it. Keiji was finally there, he really was. He needed to savour every second he could before the man left again.

"Shouyou, I missed you so much." Keiji grabbed Shouyou's chin and made him look straight to his face. _He is so beautiful_.

_Strike fucking two._

"K-Keiji."

Keiji smiled and brought their foreheads together. The mere contact made Shouyou shiver again. He was so close to Keiji. If he wanted he could bring their lips together and kiss him again, but he didn't. Shouyou wanted to enjoy it, he wanted to enjoy Keiji's presence as much as possible. Maybe he was being greedy for wanting more from the boy but he kept his cravings deep down. He wanted Keiji to do something, but he knew as soon as the black-haired man did there was no going back. Shouyou got lost in Keiji's eyes for a moment. They were so blue. 

"Smile for me, please."

 _Strike fucking three_.

Shouyou knew he already lost, there was no denying that. Every self-control he had simply vanished and Keiji was the culprit. "I can't do that."

"Is that so?"

Keiji cupped Shouyou's face with his hands and brought them even closer. Their noses were touching while their breath blended together. Shouyou's cheeks took a red undertone while he closed his eyes expecting something he craved for so long. But it never came. Shouyou opened his eyes furrowing his brows, only to be met with Akaashi's smile. Shouyou was about to talk but Keiji's lips shut him up. They were kissing. _Holy shit_. Shouyou felt those insistent butterflies in his stomach, fluttering around violently. Everything about Keiji was so familiar. The way his soft lips moved against his own, or even how daring he was for asking for permission to enter Shouyou's mouth fully. But he allowed it anyways. Shouyou fully ignored the annoying sound of his phone getting text messages, because for him only Keiji's tongue existed at the moment. Only Keiji.

"Sweet." Keiji smiled in between the kiss and pulled Shouyou into a tighter hug when they separated.

But Shouyou felt dizzy. He knew what he was doing was dangerous and wrong. Totally wrong. Everything about Keiji felt right, but that was exactly the problem. He couldn't go back to him and that was final but Keiji's arms kept him in place, somehow reminding him where he truly belonged. It was terrifying. Realizing how much power Keiji actually hold took Shouyou by surprise even if deep down he knew it was like that. He felt weak and vulnerable.

"Keiji, stop," Shouyou pulled away from Keiji, getting a confused look from the other. He could almost feel Koushi's stare piercing his back. "I- _We_ can't do this. I don't want to know how this would end up this time."

Okay, maybe saying those insignificant words burned more than he initially thought.

"I am not giving you up Shouyou, not again. You can try to push me away but I'm not leaving this time, I promise. I don't care if it takes three more years for you to understand I love you and I really regret running away like I did back then." Shouyou was about to fall for every single word. His phone vibrating in his pocket was what kept him from kissing Keiji again.

Shouyou looked back at Koushi to find him with wide eyes and a hand on top of his mouth. He was as surprised as Shouyou with Keiji's words. The redhead sighed and hummed a wait to Keiji, taking his phone out to see who was messaging him.

Kageyama: Hinata  
Kageyama: There was a tiny inconvenience  
Kageyama: Uhm well Shiemi woke up and was kind of ranting about you  
Kageyama: I'm not saying about what tho  
Kageyama: And she kept saying we had to keep an eye on you  
Kageyama: We tried to convince her not to, I swear

Shouyou chuckled at this. Shiemi was a special case when it came to protect him.

Kageyama: By this I'm trying to say that we are currently going to the café you are at

Shouyou instantly stopped reading and turned around ignoring Keiji's piercing stare. He shoved his phone in front of Koushi's face and forced him to read every single line. They were both freaking out now. Tooru and Keiji raised their eyebrows at the two whispering brothers.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means Kageyama, Daichi-san, AND Shiemi are coming. Do you get the gravity of the situation, Koushi?"

"Of course I do! How do we get rid of these two before they get here?"

"Before who gets here?" Tooru asked frowning. The secrecy between the brothers was making both him and Keiji anxious and mad at the same time.

Keiji was the most unstable one though. He literally told Shouyou how he felt and the boy decided to completely ignore him and freak out about his text messages. Which in fact were unknown to him too. Maybe he was being inconsiderate, but he thought Shouyou was going to pay him a little bit more attention after the kiss they shared. He wanted Shouyou to see how much he really meant to him, but the redhead seemed to busy freaking out about whatever his text messages said.

"Don't you listen too much?" Koushi gave Tooru the dirtiest of looks any of them had ever seen. It was so full of hatred that it was disturbing.

"Oi, Kageyama Tobio! Catch that girl before she escapes!" Both Koushi and Shouyou wanted to disappear. They knew who that was. Sawamura Daichi yelling at Kageyama Tobio to keep Akaashi Shiemi controlled. _Fucking great_.

"Boke! Your daughter is running your way and I cannot stop her."

Did Shouyou wanted to murder Tobio right there? Yes. The expression on Keiji's face made Shouyou almost cry right there. Koushi tried to stop Shiemi from bumping into Shouyou but it made no difference. Shiemi professionally dodged Koushi's arms and bumped into her father's legs, grabbing both of them in the process. The girl did not paid attention to the shocked look from the black-haired male behind Shouyou.

"D-Daddy, are you n-not crying anymore?" Shiemi smiled at her father with all her might.

Oh well, many explanations were needed now.


	3. It Has Always Been Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kageyama and daichi are breaking down y'all and akaashi is a scheming masochist. <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so i finally was able to complete this chapter. i have to confess it went through major plot, characters and title changes at least four times. at first i wanted it to be full of fluff and sugary things but i ended up making whatever this is. i'm not sure how much i like it but i think i am content enough to post it.
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading it and sorry for the wait!

Keiji couldn't breathe. His fidgeting fingers were not moving anymore and his heart beat seemed to stop abruptly. He was there, interacting with Shouyou for the first time in three years, and now somehow there was also _that_ little girl he created with him. Akaashi Shiemi. She looked just like him, as advertised, and he was definitely not ready for that. His heart ache as he saw her bright smile directed towards Shouyou, but her words were what took him out of orbit. _Oh, her words_. Was Shouyou crying before because of him? Why did it hurt so much? He didn't know, but he wanted to die right there. Just seeing how happy the girl was to see her father not crying anymore shot a strange feeling throughout his whole body. Shouyou cried, and it was all his fault. Of course, he knew the redhead was going to have some kind of painful reaction to his return but being straight away told, by a kid to say the least, that he cried was too much for him. Keiji was not okay and his face showed it.

Tooru buried his face between his hands and sighed. He saw how Keiji was pathetically malfunctioning in his place. He was sure Shiemi and him were not going to meet anytime soon, but the small thing for a girl was there. _She was there_. And those curious eyes of hers were fixed on Keiji. Shiemi tilted her head slightly to the side and pointed at Keiji with her small hand. She had a confused look on her face and Tooru was sure Keiji's wide eyes were making it worse. _Get a hold of yourself, 'Ji_.

"Daddy, a prince."

 _Prince_.

Shouyou's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and he rapidly took the girl in his arms. He gave Keiji an apologetical look and walked towards Daichi and Tobio. Keiji only saw Shouyou's back and bright orange hair but the girl was completely facing him. Her identical blue eyes to his had a type of excitement to them, like she was utterly enjoying his presence. Shiemi gave him a smile, a big and bright smile full of happiness. She looked just like Shouyou there. Keiji couldn't help but smile too, it was small but still there. Shiemi giggled at this and started mumbling some incoherent words Keiji could not understand.

"Oh my God, did you see that 'Ji? I think your own daughter just fell in love with your pretty face," Tooru chuckled at Keiji's confused face. What the fuck was happening? "That's an improvement if you ask me. I wonder how much longer until she finds out you are trying to get Chibi-chan's attention from her."

Keiji looked at his cousin with his typical blank expression. He had no idea what the idiot excuse for a cousin he had was talking about. Yeah, maybe he wanted Shouyou's complete attention, but he was definitely not trying to take him away from his own daughter. Actually, he wanted the girl to need his attention too, to rely on him like she did on Shouyou. He wanted her to ask for him like she asked for Shouyou as well even if that was not possible at the moment. Just seeing those cute blue orbs full of curiosity and wonder made his chest tighten. He regretted not being there for her.

But Keiji's heart throbbed inside of his chest as he saw Shouyou shoving Shiemi towards Tobio's arms. Tobio took her in without hesitation and gave a nod of understanding. But he didn't stop there, he also looked past Shouyou, towards Keiji's direction. Deep, dark blue eyes against gunmetal blue ones. Blue against blue, black against black. His usual scowl was even more visible to Keiji now, and he couldn't help but scoff. 

"Tobio, please take her with you. I'm not done here and I strongly believe none of us is ready for this yet," Shouyou looked back at Keiji who for a change was having a staring contest with Tobio. There was no denying the thick tension between the black-haired males. They were fighting for the exact same thing after all, Shouyou's heart. The redhead cleared his throat and the two men paid total attention to him. "Stop that. You are certainly not going anywhere by killing each other with your eyes, so stop."

Koushi rushed to Shouyou's side when he saw how dangerous things could get between Tobio and Keiji. He had to protect his little brother and niece with everything he had. Shouyou looked uncomfortable with the tension between Tobio and Keiji, and Koushi did not blame him. The stares Daichi and Tooru were giving each other were killing him too. The four of them were just fighting each other with their eyes in teams. _Akaashi and Oikawa vs. Kageyama and Sawamura. What a fucking great fight to witness_. Koushi knew he was about to go crazy and throw something at Tooru, but he decided to keep his hands to himself in order to not create more chaos. But oh man, he did wanted to throw something. At Oikawa Tooru specifically.

"Give me my niece." Koushi groaned and took Shiemi's body in his arms from Tobio's hold. He couldn't help but think Tobio was using Shiemi as proof he was at an advantage against Keiji somehow, which in fact was wrong. Keiji had all the possible advantages if it came to Shouyou's heart. That _little_ kiss from earlier proved it. Of course, Koushi was more than mad about Shouyou's stupid actions. They had a deal and Shouyou was completely breaking it by falling for Keiji's words. "You all keep up your ridiculous staring contest, I'm taking Shouyou and Shiemi away from your toxic environment. They are babies, they can't be exposed to this."

"Wait, what? Who are you calling a baby?" Shouyou frowned and was about to complain, but was immediately shut down when strong arms pulled him backwards by his waist. He didn't need to be a certified genius to know who pulled him back, the comforting familiar cologne and arms were already graved deep on his mind. Keiji's existence was as familiar to him as breathing or eating were. "W-What are you doing now?"

Keiji brushed his lips against Shouyou's ear before whispering, "I'm just making sure you don't get away from me." Shouyou was almost shaking while being held by his ex-lover. It was so surreal. Keiji kept saying all these sweet and confusing things that Shouyou had been waiting to hear since he left, but they were not comforting anymore like he thought. Instead, they made him feel worse. His mind was being torn apart in two. One part begged him to surrender and accept Keiji back in his life while making sure the man suffer in the process somehow, but the other part was yelling at him to keep his distance and forget everything they had before. The problem here was Shouyou didn't wanted any of the options his brain was giving to him. He just wanted to feel okay, and the only thing that was offering that kind of peace was his heart. But what did his heart wanted? _Ah yes_ , his heart wanted him to just forgive Keiji and kiss him none stop until they were both numb. _Quite a show, huh?_

Shouyou had no idea of what to say to be honest. He was too busy fighting his inner problems to even think about how Keiji started deliberately laying soft kisses on his exposed neck, all while keeping extremely dangerous eye contact with Tobio. Shouyou was completely oblivious to Tobio's eye twitching or Koushi's maniac smile. He didn't know anything, nada. He was lost inside of his bubble and Keiji noticed. Of course he did, and he had to take advantage of it. Shouyou was as vulnerable as he could be and Keiji knew everything he said was going to be agreed with, it didn't mattered what it was. Shouyou was going to agree with him because he simply had no idea of what was asked to him. Keiji knew it was an asshole move, but just the thought of seeing Tobio's hurt face encouraged him to do it. It encouraged him to mess with Shouyou's head.

"Am I the only one for you, Shouyou?" 

_Nod_.

"Do you love me?"

 _Nod_.

"Do you want me?"

 _Nod_.

Tooru chuckled. He didn't know what was happening, but he wanted to try too. Even if he subconsciously knew it was not going to work with Koushi. He skillfully approached Koushi and slid his arms around his tiny waist, pulling him slightly back. He was careful enough to not make any brusque movements as Koushi was the one who held Shiemi. Tooru found himself almost face to face with the little girl and a smile curled his lips upwards. She really did look like Keiji. 

"Hi there little one, I'm Oikawa Tooru. You can say I'm something similar to your uncle. A handsome and perfect uncle that is." Tooru's smile made Shiemi giggle.

"'Kawa," the girl smiled too and stretched her little arms just enough to touch Tooru's nose, booping it. "Boop!"

Was Tooru completely deceased? Um, yes.

"Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Of. Me."

Ah yes, there it was. Koushi finally noticed their current position.

"Why though?"

"Because he said so." Daichi finally spoke up. A rather scary aura started to surround him and Tobio backed away from his friend. He was so not going to die by Daichi's hand.

But Tooru didn't seemed to catch up, instead he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Look Suga, can't you be more like Chibi-chan? He entered a type of trance and is agreeing with everything 'Ji is saying."

Koushi chuckled dryly, not a single drop of amusement escaped his throat as he laughed. "I'm not helplessly in love with you as Shouyou is with Akaashi."

 _Liar_.

"Is that so?"

Koushi wanted to answer, but only a strangled noise left his throat. He said it once, but he couldn't say it again. He couldn't repeat such a filthy lie even if he wanted to. He thanked every single god that existed the fact that he couldn't see Tooru's smug face. "S-Shouyou." That was the only thing Koushi could say, just loud enough for his brother to hear. If he wanted to get out of Tooru's arms he had to get Shouyou out of his trance. After all, they were both trapped by their ex-lovers.

But Shouyou did not move nor answered. His eyes were closed and he was snuggling closer to Keiji's embrace, he was out of himself and everyone knew that. Koushi looked at both Tobio and Daichi, his eyes asking for help. He couldn't get away from Tooru because he knew he did not wanted to. Shiemi was the only one keeping him from doing whatever Shouyou was doing with Keiji. He felt desperate. It was like he was drowning in his own messy feelings and he couldn't see a way out. Koushi had no emotional strength to pull away, but it still hurt. His thoughts helplessly wandered to what it could've been if Tooru had never cheated with someone else. They could've had a baby, like Shouyou and Keiji did. Or maybe get married and have a honeymoon. There were endless things he could mention but none of them were possible anymore. Everything was broken, destroyed, and no cute or sweet words were going to fix that. Koushi knew it, but he still felt that pleasant burn from Tooru's touch like he did back then.

Tobio and Daichi couldn't move. They wanted the two men to leave Shouyou and Koushi alone, but they looked like they were enjoying the embrace. Shouyou was _almost_ purring in between Keiji's arms and Koushi had his eyes closed while his lips were pressed together. Neither of them knew what to do. 

Tobio was clenching his fists to his side trying to control his anger. He couldn't bear seeing Shouyou falling again for the one who made him suffer for the past three years. The one who broke him in a way Tobio had never seen before in his life. Keiji made a mess of Shouyou when he left and only them were there to witness it. Tobio saw how Shouyou went from being an energetic sunshine full of life and happiness to an empty dead person with no will to live other than his daughter. It was terrifying to see how the person he loved fell apart as soon as some stupid idiot decided to run away. No one could blame Tobio for wanting Keiji out of Shouyou's life forever, not after how much damage he singlehandedly did. But Tobio knew Shouyou was aware of this, he was aware of how much Keiji did and still welcomed him back. _He fucking welcomed him back with open arms_. Even if Tobio understood how much Shouyou missed Keiji, he couldn't understand how the redhead was capable of welcoming him back into his life without hesitation. It was ridiculous and frightening to the point he wanted to cry. He was there when Keiji left, he was there when Shouyou broke down, he was there when Shouyou faked every smile, he was there when Shouyou finally managed to have his first genuine laugh, he's always been there. But it wasn't enough to get Shouyou to see him more than a friend. It wasn't enough and he knew it even if he tried to deny it everyday of his life. But then again it was so simple he should've accepted it ages ago, he simply wasn't Keiji and that was exactly why Shouyou couldn't look at him differently. It has always been Akaashi Keiji, not Kageyama Tobio. 

Daichi wasn't so far of snapping either. Koushi was being held by the one person he despised with all his being. The one person who truly didn't deserve Koushi anymore. Oikawa Tooru had no business trying to make things right again. Nothing in the world could excuse his past actions, and Daichi really hoped Koushi knew that. The light gray-haired man always said Tooru and him were done and nothing was going to change that, but seeing them now was a whole other thing. Koushi was not pulling away despite his initial request and it almost looked as he gave in to Tooru's touch. It burned. Seeing Koushi let Tooru touch him again burned Daichi from the inside out. He had no right to protest though, Koushi was not his boyfriend or anything. Yeah, maybe he was barely his _friend_ and he could say something like 'Hey! Don't touch him.' but he could never say 'Hey! Back off dude, that's my boyfriend you are rudely touching.' and that shit hurt. Koushi once said he was going to give him a chance when he could get over Tooru's bullshit but up to this day they were still friends. And Daichi was so sure things were going to be that way forever. Tooru was always in Koushi's mind even if the other denied it, but Daichi couldn't blame him. Their relationship was beautiful until it wasn't, and that was something hard to forget. But even if he knew it was almost impossible, Daichi had all the patience in the world if it came to Koushi. He would wait for him until he was ready, and that was exactly why he had to put a stop to Tooru's intentions.

But before any of them could say or do anything, Shouyou pulled away from Keiji's arms. It was a quick and graceful move, one that took Keiji by surprise. Shouyou was frowning and a rather sour smile curled his lips. "Okay, now that you had your fun toying with my head, please stop. We are not repeating history, _Keiji_ , even if I want to do so so bad. You left and nothing can change that, not even your bittersweet words. I love you, yes, but I don't want to suffer again because of you," Shouyou had tears rolling down his face but he still kept a composed expression at all times. It was hard to reject the love of his life but he had to. For Koushi, for Shiemi, and more importantly for himself. "With that said, I would really appreciate it if you Oikawa-san please left my brother alone too. He doesn't deserve someone like you and we both know it. You lost your chance to even look at him when you cheated on him with Iwaizumi-san, who in fact is also a victim here. So, don't go looking for him either because if you do I'll personally hunt you down." Shouyou said all of that with a smile on his face and Tooru couldn't do more than release Koushi. He had to.

Keiji was frozen in his place. Who was that right there? It certainly wasn't the Shouyou he knew. The one that just a couple of seconds ago was snuggling against him with so much care it was cute to watch. This Shouyou was different, he was crying but still managed to put a smile on his face. And how his words just rolled off his tongue even when they were meant to be harmful made Keiji shivered. He was totally rejected and somehow that fired him up even more. Shouyou was fighting him. But the redhead said something he shouldn't have. He said he loved Keiji and that was enough to let the black-haired man know he was going to win at the end. It didn't mattered if Shouyou rejected him over and over again, he was still going to win. Even so, Keiji _knew_ the battle was going to be extremely fun because of how determined Shouyou was of keeping him away. But then something else came to Keiji's mind, another mistake Shouyou made. It was the kiss from earlier. The way Shouyou completely melted in front of his eyes and kissed him so desperately, like if he had been waiting for it for years. Which in fact, he had and that right there made Keiji's lips curl upwards in a smirk. A knowing smirk Shouyou grew to despise. Shouyou figured out how Keiji was enjoying his rejection, and that was bad.

But Tooru wasn't the scheming masochist Keiji was. Shouyou's words hurt him because he knew they were completely true. Not once in his life he felt so bad about something someone else said, but now he did. Shouyou made his heart pieces with just a cute smile and venomous words. Right there Tooru realized how perfect Keiji and Shouyou were for each other. They both said the most atrocious things with either a blank expression or a smile, and that was terrifying. It was like they lacked both sympathy _and_ empathy. _What did we even do to this kid for him to become so heartless? Ah yes, we did broke his heart and step on the pieces without a second thought_. Tooru was aware about everything Shouyou said and probably kept to himself too, but he still wanted to hear those words from Koushi. If the light gray-haired man told him to fuck off he was going to do so. Well, not really, but it was going to sting more.

"Is Iwa-chan still here?" Tooru wanted to slap himself for asking such a stupid thing, but the curiosity was way too much. He also really wanted to apologize to Iwaizumi Hajime as well, because as Shouyou previously said, he was a victim to his stupidity. The way Koushi's eyes dropped to the ground and his fists clenched to his side made Tooru flinch. Koushi was getting the wrong idea. "I just want to apologize to him for everything. We never got to talk properly and I want to let him know how sorry I am for the mess I brought him into."

Koushi shook his head. "Iwaizumi deserves an apology but you are _not_ going to talk to him out of nowhere like you did with me. I'll talk to him first."

Both Shouyou and Daichi opened their eyes wide open. Koushi was going to talk to Iwaizumi. _To Iwaizumi of all people_. Daichi grabbed Koushi's hand and pulled him closer to him and away from Tooru. He started drawing imaginary circles with his thumb in a reassuring way and that seemed to work. Koushi's tense shoulders started to relax and his breathing was steadier. Shouyou took his already sleeping daughter from Koushi's arms and gave him a soft smile. There was just one way to get through this without losing themselves in the process, and that was by being there for each other.

"Keiji," Shouyou called out for the blue-eyed man. He had to fight the urges to _lovingly_ slap the growing smile off Keiji's face, but he didn't. "If you want to see Shiemi and get to know her before you go back to wherever you came from, text me." Shouyou extended his free hand for Keiji to give him his phone which he did. After dialing his contact info Shouyou gave the phone back.

"Are you leaving?"

Shouyou nodded and offered his free hand to Koushi for him to take it. Koushi rapidly did while still having his other hand intertwined with Daichi's. "We are. I believe we've had enough for today."

"It's not like you are not going to see us again, Shouyou. Want to bet you will call me first?" Keiji bit his lower lip and raised his eyebrow.

Tooru gave his cousin a look. What the fuck was he doing?

"Yeah well, he won't so keep dreaming, Akaashi-san." Tobio took Keiji by surprise with this. Not once had he talked directly to him and now he did. His deep blue eyes were burning holes on his so intensely it was quite impressive. Keiji knew who Tobio was unfortunately, and the boy was a complete other person when it came to Shouyou's welfare. He had no problem figuring out how whiped the boy was for Shouyou but it didn't really matter because Shouyou was in love with him and only him. Keiji only had one thing to worry about and that was Shouyou himself who refused to surrender to his most primitive feelings. 

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' him, 'Ji! That's a literal declaration of war." Tooru had only one way of dealing with the growing discomfort on his chest, and that was by ignoring everything that had to do with Koushi grabbing Daichi's hand. He was _not_ hurting about how Daichi held Koushi's hand and the latter let him. It was fine, he'd held other things besides only Koushi's hand, so he still had the advantage over him.

Shouyou scoffed at this and Tobio waved his hand to the other two men. The four men and the little girl left the already empty café leaving Tooru and Keiji behind. 

The cousins had a permanent scowl imprinted on their faces. First, they made zero to none progress with their ex-lovers. Second, they were able to see how difficult it was going to be to get them to drop the act of not wanting them back. Third, Kageyama Tobio and Sawamura Daichi existed. Okay, maybe that last point bothered them more than they accepted. Maybe the two friend-zoned men had no opportunity to take Shouyou and Koushi from them but they still were there. And their mere existence pissed the cousins off. Fourth, Shouyou and Koushi were kind of hotter now somehow. Tooru wasn't a fan of the cold shoulder thing but Keiji was. After all, he was known as the scheming masochist by Tooru. He saw Shouyou's rejection as a challenge to overcome sooner or later. But don't get him wrong, he took Shouyou's love seriously.

"So, what's the plan?"

"They are not going to break easily. So, we have to use the big guns."

Tooru signaled Keiji to keep going.

"Well, we need to separate them. You take Koushi for a walk and I make an excuse to see Shouyou."

"You are supposed to be smart 'Ji. How is that a big gun?"

Keiji deadpanned, "You'll see, Tooru. Just leave it to me, I'll fix things with Shouyou."

Tooru had no doubts about that, but how was he supposed to fix things with Koushi? For what just happened he gathered a couple of things, like for example Koushi still reacted to his touches and had at least some feelings for him but that wasn't enough. Koushi was hard to handle and apparently Shouyou was now too. But there was something both him and Keiji knew for sure. They were the only ones in Shouyou's and Koushi's mind and the brothers proved it multiple times. 

It has always been them. _Always_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that you finished reading, i need your lifesaving opinion. 
> 
> i want the next chapter to focus entirely in just one couple specifically and i'm not sure whether i should write about akaashi and hinata (with kags and 'tsumu in the background) or oikawa and suga (with iwa-chan and daichi in the background). so can you help me out and please choose who you want to learn more about next? i would really appreciate it!


End file.
